


Love Sucks. End of Story.

by Precious_Lullaby



Category: Creepypasta - Fandom
Genre: Ben/Jeff - Freeform, BenxJeff - Freeform, Jeff the Killer/BEN (BEN Drowned) - Freeform, Jeff/Ben - Freeform, JeffxBen - Freeform, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2017-06-04
Packaged: 2018-06-09 18:06:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6917656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Precious_Lullaby/pseuds/Precious_Lullaby
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Or does it?</p><p>Jeff: No, it does.</p><p>Jeff, shut it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Jeff pulled his hoodie over his head as he walked into the mansion. He hoped no one would bother to talk to him. He wasn't in the mood for talking and he really didn't want to run into a certain someone.

He noticed everyone at the tv, watching something. _Good,_ he thought as he walked past them. _As long as they're distracted, I'm fine._ He shoved his knife and hands into his pocket and kept his eyes glued to the floor.

"Oh _Jeffyboy_!" a voice shouted. "I didn't know you'd come back so early!" Jeff froze. _Shit. Why? Why must you do this to me?_ He felt someone jump onto him and wrap their arms around him, hugging him.

"Jeff, you're back!" he heard Ben shout. Jeff grunted in response and shook Ben off of him. He then rubbed the back of his neck before glancing at Ben. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Same dirty yellow hair, same bleeding eyes, same clothes, same Ben. Yet, it wasn't. Not to Jeff at least. Jeff looked around. Everyone's eyes were on him. Jeff spotted the culprit that gave him away. Laughing Jack stood leaning against the wall, smirking with a lollipop in hand. Jeff shot a glare his way before walking off to his room.

He shut his door and leaned against it, groaning. _Not this again,_ he thought. _Have I not dealt with enough?_ He heard footsteps approaching the door and he knew what was to come next. His anger towards Laughing Jack grew and he practically tore the door off when he opened it. Laughing Jack stood in front of him, his smirk still plastered on his face.

"What do you want?" Jeff growled. Laughing Jack giggled.

"Oh, nothing," he said, acting innocent. "I just wanted to make sure you were alright."

"That's bullshit Lj, and you know it," Jeff said, glaring at him. Laughing Jack laughed again.

"Oh come on!" he said. "I was only teasing ya! Lighten up! And besides, it's not like anyone besides maybe Ben and Slender will care."

"Oh no, _don't_ bring either of those names into this conversation," Jeff groaned as he swung the door. Lj stopped it from completely closing by sticking his foot out in front of it. Jeff groaned again and slightly opened the door. "Ok, I'm fine! Now will you leave?!" Lj nodded and walked back to the others. Jeff closed his door and threw himself onto his bed.

Jeff heaved a sigh and punched his pillow. He punched it again, and again, and again until he just threw it to the ground. "This fucking sucks!" he yelled, tugging at his hair. He suddenly heard something from behind him fall onto the ground with a soft _thud._ He looked back to see Ben on the floor, rubbing his head. Jeff immediately fell face first onto the bed and didn't dare look up at Ben. _No. No. No. I can't. No._

Ben had been worried for Jeff and had been more than relieved that he had come back ok. The two were good friends so of course he'd be worried, but everyone else saw it differently. But, Ben either didn't notice or didn't care. He walked over to Jeff and gently poked his side. "You're not dead, are you?" he asked him. Jeff, clearly annoyed now, slowly looked up and stared at Ben. Ben took a step back. "Ok, you're not. That's good." Jeff shrugged and returned his face to the bed. "Uh, you ok?" Jeff didn't answer. Then again, he didn't know how to. Ben knew him too well, and knew when he was lying. It always worried Ben, which in turn either frustrated or annoyed Jeff.

Ben went to poke him again when Jeff looked up at Ben. "Ben, I get that we're friends and all, but why must you do this every time I come back from somewhere?" he asked him. Ben rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly and blushed slightly.

"Well, you worry me is all," he said quietly. "Don't take it the wrong way either, it's just....well....you know...." Jeff nodded.

"Ok, but, dude," Jeff continued. "I kinda want to be alone right now...." Ben nodded frantically.

"Yeah, ok!" he said, smiling. "I'll, uh, make sure no one bothers you! And if you need me, you know what to do." Jeff nodded again and Ben walked out of the room. As the door shut, Jeff buried his face back into his bed and started shouting curses. About fifteen minutes later, Jeff looked up slightly.

"Love sucks!" he groaned. "I fucking hate it!" He punched the bed before burying his face again. He trembled slightly. "This is terrible! How long do I have to put up with this?! Dammit, _why_ do I have to put up with this?! Fuck, I'd rather just go to sleep!" Jeff continued cursing. Little does he know Laughing Jack is right outside the door, listening in. He chuckles before walking off.

"I love it when this happens," he said to himself, smiling. "Looks like I'm doing a good job so far, right?"

"Yes," they answered. Laughing Jack chuckled again and made his way to his room.

"Soon enough, he'll come to realize it...."


	2. Chapter 2

Rain poured down and pounded against the mansion. Everyone had stayed inside today, since Slender had insisted for some odd reason. The pastas were either in their rooms, in the living room, in the kitchen, or somewhere else in the mansion. Both Jeff and Ben were in their rooms. Jeff hadn't bothered to get out of bed and laid there, listening to the rain. Ben sat on his bed, playing video games.

**{Ben's POV}**

I grinned. Another win. It was always satisfying when I won. I didn't like losing, everyone knew that, but every now and then I'd allow it. Especially with Sally. I always let Sally win. Always.

I set the controller down and looked out the window. I saw rain hitting against the window and shuddered. I turned back to the screen and was about to start another game when I remembered. "Shit." I got up and brushed myself off. I then jumped into the tv and jumped out into Jeff's room. I landed in the floor with a loud _thud_ and I saw Jeff sit up and stare at me. He looked a bit shaken.

"S-sorry," I said as I sat up and rubbed my head. "I, uh, didn't mean to do that. I just came to see if you were alright...." Jeff nodded frantically. I smiled softly. "That's good." Jeff shrugged. I stared at him, wondering what could be wrong. Jeff hadn't been acting like himself lately and I seem to be the only one noticing. _He probably likes someone again,_  I thought. I stood up and sat on the edge of his bed. He looked at me, slightly worried.

"You sure you're ok?" I asked him. He nodded. "Ok, I'm taking your word on this...." I laid down on his bed. His bed was stiff, as if he had never slept on it. He probably doesn't use it as often as he should, unless if he just likes it that way.

"Uh, so...." Jeff said, rubbing the back of his head. I turned to him, smiling a bit. "I have a question to ask...." I sat up. "You don't like anyone, do you?" _Maybe,_ I thought.

"No," I answered, shaking my head. "Why?"

"Oh, no reason," he said. "I just heard...." His words trailed off and I turned to him.

"Heard what?" I asked.

"I, uh, heard that you liked someone......I'm not sure who though....." he said. "That's why I asked."

"Who'd you here it from?" I asked.  _I swear if Glitchy Red spread the rumor again I will make his life miserable,_ I thought. Jeff froze.

"Um, I heard it from.....from.....Sonic.exe! I heard it from Sonic.exe!" he said. I groaned.

"That fucking asshole," I muttered as I stood up. "I'll be back." I climbed into his tv and went to go deal with Sonic.exe.

**{Jeff's POV}**

I let out a sigh of relief as Ben left. _Good,_ I thought as I laid back down. As much as I appreciated him hanging around me, Ben could get annoying. I heard thunder from outside. _Well, looks like I'll be here for a while,_ I thought. I had figured that the rain would have gone away by now, but it seems as though it's here to stay.

There was a sudden knock on the door. I stared at it, wondering who it could be. Most likely Laughing Jack. Dammit, the guy needs to find someone else to bother. I didn't get why he liked bothering and teasing me so much. The person knocked again and I stood up, trudging over to it. I slowly opened the door and looked out. In front of me stood Sally, clutching her bear.

"Slendy wants to see you," she said quietly.

"Oh, um, ok," I said, nodding. She smiled and walked away. I groaned and closed the door. _Great, what does he want now?_ I got dressed and walked out of the room to Slender's office. I was not looking forward to this. He and I have a rough history and there's always an awkward tension whenever we're in the same room. Especially when we're alone.

I stood in front of the door, not wanting to knock. Yet I did, being the idiot I am. "Come in," Slenderman said and I slowly opened the door and looked in. He sat in his chair, looking at something. I walked in and shut the door behind me. He looked up. "Ah, Jeff, you're here. Looks like Sally did the trick." I rolled my eyes. _Oh, it's about that,_ I thought.

I walked over to the desk and sat down in front of it. Slender sighed and put some papers away. "Jeff, I want to talk to you about something," he said quietly. Lightening flashed and thunder boomed. The rain poured. I said nothing and he continued. "I'm going to need you to do something for me, alright?" I nodded slowly. "If the rain dies down by tonight, I'll have you and Laughing Jack go on a mission, got it?"

"Woah, woah, woah," I said, staring at him with wide eyes. " _Me_? Go on a mission? With _Laughing Jack_?  At _night_?" I shook my head. "Yeah, no, I don't think so."

"And why not?" Slender asked me. I groaned.

"He laughs too much!"

"Hence why his name is **Laughing** Jack."

"He's creepy!"

"And you're not?"

"He's a fucking pervert!"

"Tell me something I don't know about him." I let out a sigh of frustration. 

"Slender, I can't go on a mission with Laughing Jack!" I yelled. "I just can't!"

"Child, at least give me a solid answer to my question," he said. I sat back in my seat, trying to come up with a good reason as to why I wouldn't want to go on a mission with a chaotic, perverted, monochromatic clown. Then it came to me.

"Ben and I have something planned for tonight," I said quietly. "It's important and we've been planning this for a while now. I can't afford to let him down." Silence. I tried not to think of anything, but ended up thinking about Ben himself. The awkward tension built up.

"I'm sure he'll understand," Slenderman said. I groaned.

"Slender, come on!" I pleaded. "I can't!" If Slenderman had eyes, he probably would've rolled them at me at that moment.

"Jeff, please," Slender said. "Just this once, cooperate with me. Please. It's one night, just tonight. Yes, Laughing Jack is annoying at times, but he can get the job done. Besides, you two would be the only ones available anyway since everyone else had plans." I glared at him. It was obvious that he didn't care about my plans. Really, he never had, so it was a wonder as to why he had even considered da- "Jeff, one mission with Laughing Jack, that's all I ask." I stared at him.

"That's all you ask?" I asked. He nodded. I let out sigh. I _really_ didn't want to. I had a feeling that Laughing Jack would try to pull something on me while we were on the mission. It was very likely, and yet..... "Fine. Just one mission. You had better be right." He nodded. I got up and walked to the door.

"Remember," he said. " _If_ the rain dies down, the mission is a go."

"I'd better hope that the rain lasts then," I muttered as I walked out. _Great,_ I thought. _A mission with Lj. Someone make me go to sleep._

Laughing Jack suddenly appeared from no where. "Hey Jeffyboy!" he said, grinning widely. I rolled my eyes.

"Go away Laughing Jack," I growled as I walked past him.

"Aww, come on Jeff!" he said, frowning slightly. I walked faster.

I shut the door behind me and leaned against it. _Dammit, I thought for sure the lie with Ben would've worked. Why didn't it?_ I walked over to my bed and laid down. _I fucking hope the rain lasts.....if it doesn't.....I'm done for....._


	3. Chapter 3

A loud scream echoed throughout the mansion. Everyone froze. Loud footsteps were heard coming down the halls and something was heard falling down the stairs. Everyone's attention directed to the stairs and they saw Ben roll down them. He landed on the floor with a thud and curled up into a ball. Slender teleported from his office into the living room.

"Ben?" he asked as he saw the blond trembling at the base of the stairs. He then realized his clothes were soaked. He carefully picked Ben up and asked him,"Who?"

"S-S-Sonic.e-e-exe," Ben stuttered, still trembling. Sonic.exe's laughter echoed throughout the mansion. Slender decided he would have to deal with him later and teleported away with Ben.

Meanwhile, Jeff sat staring at the window. The rain had died down a lot within the couple of hours that he had last talked to Slender and he grew increasingly worried. _No, last longer, **please** , _he thought. Of course, he was counting on the rain to last because he didn't want to go on that mission. _Obviously_. And he was going to do whatever it took so that he didn't go. Yet he knew a certain clown was going to make that _very_ difficult for him.

Laughing Jack walked down the hall towards Jeff's room, grinning. He leaned against the door, trying to see if he could hear anything. When he heard no sound, he knocked. Jeff glared at the door, knowing exactly who it was at the door.

"What?!" he growled viciously. Laughing Jack giggled and walked into the room, closing the door behind him.

"Hello Jeffyboy!" Laughing Jack chirped, grinning. "I just wanted to see how you were doing and to notify you that there is a high possibility that our mission will happen." Jeff continued to glare at Laughing Jack.

"Why are you doing this?" Jeff asked.

"Whatever do you mean Jeffrey?" Laughing Jack asked, acting as innocently as he could. Jeff threw a knife at him, missing his face by an inch. It flew past him and lodged into the door. Laughing Jack poked the knife before giggling. "Jeffrey, you still miss me but your aim's getting better!"

"Don't call me that!" Jeff hissed. Laughing Jack giggled again. "Get the fuck out Laughing Jack!"

"Aw, but why?" he asked, pouting playfully. Jeff pointed at the door and Laughing Jack stared at it. "What is it? It's a door, I can see that, but-"

"OUT NOW LAUGHING JACK!" Jeff yelled harshly, probably loud enough for the entire mansion to hear. Laughing Jack stared at Jeff with wide eyes for a few seconds before grinning and headed towards the door.

"You know Jeffrey, you're absolutely _adorable_  when you're angry," Laughing Jack said before running out of the room. Jeff yelled out in frustration before dislodging the knife and slamming his head against the door. _Why me?_ he thought for most likely the hundredth time that day. _Why?_

There was another knock on the door and Jeff gripped the knife in his hands before opening the door enough for him to look out. He was met with a pair of legs that wore black slacks. He looked up to see Slenderman in front of the door, holding what seemed like a trembling Ben.

"What is it?" Jeff asked him, trying not to raise his voice, but the anger in his tone was there. Slender set Ben down, to which Ben bolted through the opening and ended up knocking Jeff onto the floor. He held onto Jeff as if his dear life depended on it. Jeff looked at Ben as Slender spoke.

"Sonic.exe drenched him with water," Slender explained. "Seeing as you are the only one capable of comforting him, I brought him to you." Jeff nodded and gently pat Ben's head. Ben hugged Jeff tighter. "Also, I need to take care of something, or in this case _someone,_ so, I guess I'll just leave him with you." Jeff nodded again and Slender teleported someplace else. Jeff looked down at Ben and sighed.

"You don't look too good buddy," he said softly. Ben shook his head vigorously. "I'm sorry he dumped water on you....."

"I-I-It's n-not your f-f-f-fault," Ben said as his voice glitched. Jeff closed the door and held Ben near him. It felt odd having the midget this close but at the moment neither pasta cared. Jeff comforted Ben as best he could but whenever the sound of thunder rumbled Ben would bury his face into Jeff's hoodie, as if it would protect him from the danger that lurked outside. Jeff grew slightly uncomfortable but knew Ben meant nothing of the sort. It was just his fear, nothing more.

Jeff's door swung open to reveal a grinning Laughing Jack. "Oh Jeffy-" Laughing Jack stopped short as he saw Ben in Jeff's arms. He scowled. Jeff looked up and was about to yell at him again until he noticed his expression. An idea popped into his head and Jeff smirked. Laughing Jack didn't notice.

"May I help you?" Jeff asked Laughing Jack, trying to keep a straight face. Of course that wouldn't work out for an _obvious_ reason, but at least he tried.

"What's _he_ doing here?" Laughing Jack asked as he pointed at Ben. Jeff looked down at Ben and noticed he was asleep.

"Oh, Slender asked me to comfort him since he had gotten drenched," Jeff replied, looking back up at Laughing Jack. His smirk was evident now but Laughing Jack just continued to scowl.

"How long?" he asked Jeff. Jeff shrugged.

"It's been a while since he left," Jeff said. "And he told me I couldn't leave Ben alone until he came back, so...." Laughing Jack stared at Ben, trying not to snap. _How could I have forgotten?_ he thought to himself. _That stupid blond midget could ruin everything!_ "Well? What did you want?" Jeff asked, snapping Laughing Jack out of his thoughts.

"I came to talk but I see now that you're occupied," Laughing Jack said quietly as he walked off. He began muttering things to himself and began to rethink his plan. How could he forget? It had all been perfectly planned out until the midget was brought into the equation.

_What if he ends up falling in love with that blond midget?!_ Laughing Jack thought. He froze. _NO. That can't happen. I won't allow it._ He ran off to his room to rethink everything. Meanwhile, Jeff was quietly chuckling to himself and looked down at Ben.

"Maybe this isn't so bad," Jeff whispered. "This could work.....Possibly. And if it doesn't.....well, who knows. We'll just have to see where this takes us...." He pat Ben's head again and set him down on his bed. He then closed the curtains to his room and turned back to Ben. Jeff sighed.

"This still sucks."


	4. Chapter 4

Laughing Jack paced his room angrily. The rain was coming to a stop, but that wouldn't matter. Not until the blonde midget was dealt with.

"How?! How could I have missed it?!" he asked himself for what seemed like the thousandth time. "Stupid blonde midget!" He took out a lollipop and began angrily munching on it. "How dare Thlender do thuch a thing!" He sighed and sat down on his bed. He had thought Slenderman would be on his side, but now it seemed likely the opposite. "I thwear, I'll hab to do thith on my own!" And with that he stomped out of his room.

Meanwhile, Slenderman had ended up finishing taking of something and was headed back to Jeff's room. He thought about the unusual mission Laughing Jack had begged for him to allow. It was odd, _very_ odd and it raised some suspicion for him. It wasn't hard to figure out the huge crush Laughing Jack had on Jeff (really, everyone knew about it). Slender figured this mission was supposed to be for Laughing Jack to pull a move on Jeff, which wasn't the rarest of things. He himself may or may not have had experience with it.

 _Jeff wouldn't fall for it,_ he thought to himself. _He's not that stupid, even if everyone believes he is._ Slender suddenly heard muffled cursing coming down the hall. He recognized the voice and was prepared to face the owner of it. _I think he finally realized the big flaw in his plan._

Laughing Jack walked down the hall, his lollipop having been discarded. He glanced up to see Slender walking towards him and tried not to think of said flaw. It was too late, though.

"So, you've finally realized it?" Slender asked as he stood in front of the clown. Laughing Jack glared at him.

"You knew," he growled. "And you didn't bother to tell me."

"Really, why would I?" Slender asked him. "And now you see why _I_ said no." Laughing Jack stared down at the floor.

"I'm not going to give up," he said. "Not the way you did." As soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, Laughing Jack was swept up into the air and was brought face to face with Slenderman. Laughing Jack squirmed, but to no avail. Slender's tendrils tightened around the clown who was now regretting saying a word.

 _"Listen here, Laughing Jack,"_ Slender hissed. Laughing Jack trembled slightly. "I did what I thought was _best_. I had never _intended_ for it to be a _reality_. When it had, I knew that I would have _caused_ more damage than I had intended to _fix_. I'm only trying to stop you from causing any more harm." The tendrils tightened more and the clown was finding it hard to breathe. "How hard is it to understand, Laughing Jack? I don't think you don't realize how difficult for me it is to deny my emotions. To him, I probably sound like I don't care or that I never had, but I did. I _still do_ , in fact. Then you come along and make it even more difficult. _Do you think this is all some sort of game?"_ Laughing Jack tried saying something, but couldn't. The tendrils had tightened even further and Laughing Jack wasn't sure how much longer he had to endure. "Emotions aren't something to mess with, Laughing Jack, and believe me, some of us still have them. If you think you can play with them and get away with it, then you are horribly mistaken. I suggest _you_ give up _now_ or else the consequences will be _deadly._ " Slender dropped him onto the ground. Laughing Jack wheezed and started coughing. Slender walked away from him, hands clenched into fists.

The clown struggled to get up. He continued coughing until droplets of blood became evident. He sat against the wall, trying to stop. Needless to say that he was trembling and that he was terrified. But, that didn't stop him. Oh boy, if only he had known of the chaos that would ensue.

**{Ben's POV}**

I woke up to the sound of something hitting the wall. I sat up and looked around. Jeff sat against the wall, banging his head on it. He kept repeating some phrase but I couldn't quite hear it. I hesitated, but eventually I called,"Jeff?" He immediately stopped and looked up at me.

"Hey, you're up," he said quietly. I nodded. "That's good." He stood up.

"How long have I been asleep?" I asked him. I didn't even remember falling asleep, but I had a feeling it was because of the smell of Jeff's hoodie. Jeff tilted his head slightly, the way he does when he thinks.

"Uh, about an hour or two," he finally said. I nodded and sighed. "Good news is that the rain's stopped."

"It did?" I asked him. He walked over to the curtains and drew them back. The rain had in fact stopped, but in it's place were a bunch of puddles. "Please tell me you're not going to force me outside like you did last time...." Jeff shook his head as he turned back to me. "Ok good." He chuckled.

Suddenly, the sound of static was heard and there was a knock on the door. Jeff sighed. I knelt over and opened the door. Slender stood there, as expected. He immediately turned to me. "Are you feeling better child?" he asked. I nodded. "Good. I took care of him so you won't have to worry about him for a while." He then turned to Jeff. "Now, you do realize the rain has stopped, yes?" Jeff froze. "Now, luckily for you, I'll be kind enough to give you an option."

"W-which is?" he stammered. Slender motioned to me and Jeff nodded. "R-right! Right! My plans with Ben! Yeah, those are _really_ important Slender and I hadn't told Ben about the mission so...."

"Ah, I see," Slender said. I stared at them both. _What the hell?_ I thought. Then I realized Jeff was probably trying to get himself out of something, so I played along.

"So, we're still doing our plans....or no?" I asked. Slender turned to me.

"Well, seeing as your plans are important, I'll just have to cancel the mission," he said. Jeff nodded. "Carry on then." Slender teleported somewhere and Jeff closed the door.

"Mind telling me what that was about?" I asked him.

"I was supposed to go on a mission with Laughing Jack," he mumbled as he sat down on the bed.

" _Oh,_ " I said. He nodded. "Well then.....now what?" Jeff rubbed his chin, then smiled widely. "Oh no....." This could only end badly.


	5. Chapter 5

**{Jeff's POV}**

Ben and I ran down the hall after Smile Dog. "To my room buddy!" I shouted as I threw the box I had in my hand to him. He caught the box and continued on. I heard the sound of loud footsteps behind us. I looked back to see and angry Masky and Hoodie still running after us. They weren't close enough to snatch us from the collar of our clothes, though. Well, ok, _I_ wasn't. Ben was seriously lagging behind, so I grabbed his hand, swung him over my shoulder and continued running.

In all honesty, this was an awesome and funny plan. Also stupid. But mostly awesome and funny. Who knew this could be so much fun? I couldn't remember the last time my heart was thumping this wildly or the last time I was laughing so hard, tears were streaming down my face. Ok, maybe that wasn't true, but still! Really, I wasn't even sure how it had happened. One minute we were talking and the next this happens.

Let me summarize the scene for you in two words: stolen cheesecake. I think you get it, right? Anyway, back to the actual scene. We continued running. My legs were beginning to ache but I pushed myself on. Or, tried to. I felt something hit my leg, causing me to trip and drop Ben. Ben got up and continued running. I tried to get up, but was pinned down to the floor by Masky. Hoodie continued running and I heard Smile Dog bark. _Shit,_ I thought.

My hair was tugged back and I grunted in pain. "What the fuck dude!" I growled as I turned to face Masky. He tugged my hair again.

"You're an idiot," he simply replied as he got up and threw me onto the ground harshly. I suddenly heard Ben wail. I immediately got up and was about to start running when Hoodie knocked me back to the ground. He stumbled before continuing down the hall. Masky looked back and he froze for a second or two before running as well. I immediately stood up and spat curses before I turned around and froze.

 _No,_ I thought. _Anyone but you._

In front of me stood a familiar and annoying clown. I took a step back. There was no point in running. I'll admit, even if he's an idiot and a clown, he's fast. Well, faster than _me_ anyway, so there was no point in me running.

Laughing Jack stood in front of me, his face having a blank expression. It was odd not seeing him smile, even _if_ his smile was something I'd rather not see. He stared at me for what seemed like ages before he walked past me, grumbling quietly to himself. I stood there, like an idiot, frozen in place. Something was obviously wrong, I knew that much, but I didn't think I'd want to find out what or why, so I walked down the hall and turned left.

I heard a faint whimper and then I remembered. I bolted down the hall towards my room and ended up nearly missing Ben. I skidded to a halt as I saw the tip of his green hat poking out from one of the various closets that were in this hall. Don't ask me why Slender has a hall with closets because even I'm not sure. I tried opening the door, but it didn't budge. Obviously, Ben's hat being lodged between the door was the reason for why it wouldn't open. I groaned as I tugged at the door, but it didn't seem like it was moving.

"Jeff, stop!" I heard Ben yell from the other side. "It fucking hurts when you do that!"

"What the hell happened?" I asked him. "Did Hoodie get you that easily?" I chuckled.

"N-No," Ben said. _No?_ I thought. _Then what happened?_ I assumed he was lying, as he always does when he gets embarrassed and shit, and tried opening the door once more. "Jeff, _stop it!_ "

"You weren't complaining when I did that fifteen times before you complained!" I yelled.

"I was knocked out, ok?!" he shouted back. "The pain woke me back up!"

"I don't believe that," I said, remembering the whimper I had heard a few minutes before. _Or maybe it had been Smile Dog._ I ran a hand over my face as the thought came to mind. _I'm clearly stupid._ I wiggled the doorknob, hoping it would somehow dislodge Ben's hat or something.

"Jeff."

I jumped and turned to see Laughing Jack was back with Masky and Hoodie. _Uh oh._

"Yeah?" I said as calmly as I could.

"Slenderman wants to talk to you," he replied as he eyed the door. "What the hell happened?" I shrugged as I gave one final tug at the door. Ben wailed and I sighed in frustration.

"Can you tell him I'm busy?" I asked him as I tried to come up with a way of getting Ben out of the closet. Suddenly, the sound of static filled the hall and I realized that he was not going to take any excuse from me this time.

"What's going on?" I heard Slender say. I didn't bother turning to look. I already knew that he had his arms crossed over his chest and his tendrils out and ready to snatch me up into the air to whisk me away to his office. Besides, how was I supposed to tell him the current situation at hand without me looking like an even bigger idiot than I am? "Well?" Laughing Jack pushed me aside and tugged at the door. It flew open and Ben fell out with Smile Dog on top of him. Somehow, Smile still held the box. The two struggled to get up and I heard Slender mutter something under his breath. I could already imagine the scolding that would come of this the second I was in that office. The embarrassment in itself would be unbearable, never mind the _punishment_ he would have to give me afterwards.

A tendril wrapped itself around the box and snatched it up into the air. It then was handed back to Masky and Hoodie, who mumbled a faint 'thank you' before running off to who the fuck knows where. Slender sighed and I was snatched up into the air. "The three of you," Slender said to Ben, Smile and LJ. "Off to your rooms. Now." The three nodded and ran off. That left me with Slender. Slender turned me around to look at him. "You and I need to talk." I nodded and hung my head in shame and immediately wished I hadn't.

Slender _was_ in fact crossing his arms, but he wasn't wearing his suit. Instead, all he had on was a towel wrapped around his waist. _He must've been showering or taking a bath or something before something else happened that had him come here or something like that,_ I thought.I tried to look at anything other than his chest and abs and anything _below_ that. Yeah, I'd seen it before, but that had been a _long_ time ago. Seeing it again now was just....awkward.

Slender started walking. He either ignored or hadn't even noticed my now pink face. _Don't think about it,_ I thought as I tried to think of something else. _Stealing the cheesecake was a bad idea. My head now hurts from Masky pulling at my hair. Why wasn't Laughing Jack smiling? Wait, why do I care? How the hell did Ben get stuck in that closet with Smile Dog? I didn't even hear anything-_

"Those are interesting thoughts you're having," Slender commented. I shrugged. "You might as well come clean about everything." I sighed. The door to his office swung open and I prepared myself for what was to come next. I was sat down and he sat down. I stared down at the floor. It would be the only place that wouldn't trigger, uh, _certain_ thoughts. "So, from what I understand, you stole Masky's and Hoodie's cheesecake?" I nodded, still looking at the floor. "Why?" I shrugged. Again, I wasn't sure how it had happened. It just _did._ "I thought you had plans with Ben?"

"I did," I told him. "Still do, in fact."

"Stop lying." I glanced up at him. He was obviously irritated, it didn't take a genius to know that. "You never had plans with him, did you?" I slowly shook my head. There wasn't any point in lying to Slender. Once he caught you, the truth came out. That's just how it is. "You only lied so that you wouldn't have to go on that mission with Laughing Jack." I shuddered. To be honest, I kind of forgot about that right up until he said it. "Well, looks like you'll have to pay for that." I nodded and waited. "Looks like I'll have to tell Laughing Jack that I've changed my mind. You _will_ be going on that mission after all." My head shot up and my eyes widened.

"No, _please,_ no!" I pleaded. "Slender, _please,_ I-"

"Jeff, you're going on that mission," he said sternly. "No amount of apologizing or bargaining or pleading will change that." My jaw dropped. He could _not_ be serious! But he was, which sent a chill down my spine.

"Slender-"

"Jeff, shut it," he hissed. I jumped slightly. It wasn't the first time he used that tone but he didn't use it very often. The door opened and Laughing Jack strolled in, his expression still blank.

"You called?" he asked. He glanced over at me and he raised an eyebrow.

"I've changed my mind about the mission," Slender informed him. Laughing Jack's eyes lit up and his jaw dropped.

"Wha-? Really?!" he asked a little too excitedly. Slender didn't seem to notice.

"Yes," Slender replied, nodding. "You leave in fifteen minutes." Laughing Jack smiled.

"Thanks Slender!" he said as he walked out of the room. I glared at the clown as he walked out. This must've been his doing, it _must have,_ but I couldn't figure out how.

"This'll be your punishment Jeff," Slender said. I turned back to him, my glare now reduced to a look filled with dread. "Now go back to your room and prepare for it."

"Slender, you can't be serious!" I yelled, even though I _knew_ he was. "Why?! Come on, I _just_ came back from one! Isn't there anything else I could do?!" He didn't reply. I suddenly glared at him, my anger reaching a boiling point. "You just _love_ seeing me suffer, don't you?! You don't even _care_  as to what happens to me, do you?! You _never_ have! It fucking sucks! This all fucking sucks!" I got up and stormed out of the office, running off to my room and slamming the door behind me. I slammed my head against the wall and slid down onto the ground, running a hand through my hair as I desperately tried not to cry. "This is stupid! I fucking hate this! Why? Why me?! WHY?!" I buried my face into my hands and trembled slightly.

"This shit sucks!"

**{Ben's POV}**

I sat on my bed, staring down at the floor. I wasn't sure why, but it felt like this had all been my fault even if I had done nothing. Really, it had all been Jeff. I can't blame him, though. He had a good excuse for once to get out of something, but now the chance was gone and he was stuck with his original problem.

Looking over at my window, I noticed was more than halfway under the horizon. _Shit,_ I thought. _Jeff'll be leaving soon._ I rubbed my arm. It still hurt from being locked up in the closet. Let me tell you, I didn't know Laughing Jack had that much in him. Luckily, he had left my hat out so Jeff didn't pass me by as he thought he would.

 _Laughing Jack's behind this,_ I thought as I laid back on my bed. _This mission must be his plan for something. But what?_ I rubbed my chin as I thought of ideas as to why Laughing Jack would even make up such a plan. Then it hit me. _This isn't a mission. It's some stupid plan to get Jeff to like him!_ I rolled my eyes. That clown just doesn't know when to stop. Can't he see that Jeff isn't interested?

"Now that that's been figure out," I thought aloud. "The next thing to figure out is who else could possibly be involved...." Slender could've been involved, since he _approved_ the mission. But then again, he probably didn't think the mission would be anything but a mission. _Wait, what_ is _the mission?!_ If Laughing Jack had asked for a mission for just him and Jeff, he must've said something about a massacre. I mean, that's how anyone else would do it, considering Jeff loves doing that. Preferably alone, but still. Then again, we all do, but Jeff in particular was the one who only went on missions that involved massacres (and rarely ones that involved one person but those would be personal). "That's gotta be it. Really, that'd be the only way. But, then again....Slender isn't dumb enough to do that without asking other questions....So how?"

I rubbed my head and sighed. _Maybe that's enough thinking for right now,_ I thought as I sat up. _I'll think about it later. Right now, though, it's time for more video games._ I got up and walked over to my console and immediately resumed the game I had been playing earlier.

What I didn't know was that I had failed to hear my door shut and the heavy footsteps walking away.


	6. Chapter 6

**{Laughing Jack's POV}**

"Don't fucking touch me," Jeff growled as he stomped ahead of me. I followed closely behind. Obviously, he had no idea where we were going, but it didn't seem to matter to him. He was just focused on getting as far away from me as possible. Of course, I was going to make that very difficult for him.

"Jeffyboy, you don't even know where to go," I pointed out. I noticed his grip on his knife tighten as he turned to face me. His glare had gotten worse, but it didn't bother me. I found it kinda funny when he glared.

"Don't fucking call me that," he hissed and continued walking.

"But-"

"Just shut up LJ," he muttered. I stared at him. _You are going to make this very difficult for me, gumdrop,_ I thought. _No matter. I'll figure something out._

I continued following him. _I should've made my plan a little less suspicious_ , I thought. _Oh well. In the end, it worked. Somehow...._ Although I was happy Slender forced Jeff to go, it didn't make much sense. Slender was completely against this mission, so why would he suddenly change his mind? I shook my head and tried to focus on Jeff. _I'll just figure it out later._

"Jeff," I said. He groaned in response. "You're going the wrong way." He stopped and turned around to glare at me.

"Then lead the way," he said through grit teeth. I nodded, smiling, and motioned for him to follow me. He reluctantly, and angrily, followed. I dug my hand into my pocket and took out a lollipop. I unwrapped it and stuck it into my mouth. I heard Jeff mutter something under his breath. I turned to him.

"Wanth one?" I asked him. He glared again.

"I'd rather kill myself," he muttered.

"Gee, a thimple no would've beeth fithe," I said, pouting. "You don't hath to be tho harth about it." Jeff muttered something again. I sighed and turned around. "I don't get why you're tho mean-"

"Would you stop talking?!" Jeff snapped. I turned to him, slightly shocked. "Just shut it LJ. Please, for the love of fuck, just shut up." I said nothing but instead continued walking and eating my lollipop. _The midget has probably already gotten to him,_ I thought. _What is it going to take to get him out of the picture?_

I looked around and noticed we were getting closer to my carnival. _About time._ I began thinking about my plan again. I figured I could get Jeff to at least help me lure some people in and kill them so that the mission didn't seem too suspicious to _him_. Besides, it'd get him happy, wouldn't it?

The gates creaked as I opened them, deciding to let Jeff open them himself. He did. I waited for the gates to close to continue walking. He followed. I took out a handful of lollipops and handed them to Jeff saying,"Take thethe. You're goith to theed them." I continued walking.

"What are we even doing here?" Jeff grumbled.  I took my lollipop out.

"Isn't it obvious gum- er, Jeff?" I asked him, turning around. "We're going to catch some victims!" He stared at me.

"That's it?" he asked. I nodded. "And we're doing that _here?_ In _your_ _carnival?_ " I nodded again. "Why here of all places? And why you? And why _now?!"_  I laughed.

"Slendy thought we needed to get along," I told him. "I do and don't see why. We get along just fine." Jeff opened his mouth to say something but quickly shut it. "Guess he thought we could be closer or something, I dunno." Although, I _did_ know. But Jeff didn't need to know. Not now, at least. I turned around and started whistling before Jeff could say anything.

I heard Jeff run up to me and walk beside me. "I don't get it," he muttered. I turned to him. "Why now?" I shrugged. "It doesn't make sense to me."

"Something's bothering Slendy," I said as I discarded my lollipop. "Has been for a while. Not sure what." I glanced at Jeff. He was staring down at the floor. "Anyway, it's not like we're going to be here the entire night. After we've captured a few victims then we'll go to our second destination."

"Second?" Jeff asked as he looked up at me. I nodded as I took out a handful of lollipops. "Wait, so....Fuck, _why_?" I shrugged, not wanting to answer him at that moment. I had begun to hear footsteps. I looked around but saw no one. Was it just me? Probably. I couldn't be sure.

As we neared the front of the carnival I made one last look around before looking out through the gate. _Who will be our first victim?_ I thought. I slowly opened the gate. There wasn't any noise that told us someone was coming. I stepped out. "Looks like we're going to have to find them ourselves," I thought aloud.

"Do we split up then?" Jeff asked. I turned to him.

"What?" I asked. "No, what are you talking about?" Jeff didn't reply but instead looked towards the ground. I heard footsteps. I looked around but saw no one. I narrowed my eyes. "Something's wrong...."

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked, looking up.

"Don't you hear that?" I asked him.

"Hear what?" he asked. "You talking? That's all I've been hearing this entire trip." I rolled my eyes.

"Never mind then," I said. Maybe it _was_ just me, I dunno. But then I heard the footsteps again. And it wasn't just any normal person's footsteps. These footsteps were quieter, stealthier. As if they didn't want to be heard. I clutched the lollipops. I suddenly closed the gate and locked it. "Jeff, stay here. I'll be back." Before Jeff could protest, I started running.

I didn't stop until I noticed some lights down the street. I hid in the shadows and walked towards them. It wasn't out of the ordinary but I was a bit curious. I looked around the corner and noticed some teenagers walking away from a candy shop. _How did I not notice this before?_ I thought as I crept towards it.

Looking inside the windows, I noticed that the store owner walked into a back room. _I could probably plant some of these into that shop,_ I thought as I looked down at my lollipops. I would have to do it now, though. I walked in. The bell above the door chimed and I immediately ran towards the lollipop's display. I immediately placed mine with the others and tried to make it as natural as possible. That was when I heard the footsteps again. I looked out to see a dark figure running past the window, the footsteps echoing behind them. I ran out after the figure.

 _I'm not completely imagining things,_ I thought. I followed the sound of footsteps and realized they were going down an alley. At the end of the alley, I noticed that the figure stood at the end. _There's no escaping now._ I jumped and grabbed it, knocking it down to the ground. I fell flat. I stood up and realized I just held a jacket. I flipped it and on the back, a message was written:

**_"Gotcha!~"_ **

I stood there confused for a moment until I realized that the message was in  _Jane's_ handwriting _._ But why would she be here? And why would she do this? It didn't make any sense. I turned around and started walking back towards the carnival.

 _He's probably annoyed that I've left him for so long,_ I thought. _Just great._ I continued walking and I heard Jane's laughter. I looked around but saw no one. I then heard Jeff's laughter. Again I looked around and again I saw no one. That was when it hit me.

"No!" I yelled as I ran back to the carnival, dropping the sweater onto the ground. "No! No, you haven't got me! You haven't tricked me!" But as I reached the carnival, I knew they had. Everything made sense now. It made sense as to why Slender punished Jeff this way.

I saw the gate was open. I ran inside and called out for Jeff. There was no response. I ran around the carnival looking for Jeff but there was no sign of him.

He was gone.


	7. Chapter 7

Did Jeff feel bad for leaving the creepy monochromatic clown? No. But he knew that Slender wouldn't be too happy once he found out about this. His punishment would probably be worse than this.

"Jane, where are we going?" He asked.

"Back to the mansion," she replied quietly. Jeff felt his heart start pounding in his chest. Fuck.

"Jane, uh, why did you come and get me?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because it's you out of all people Jane!"

"Just know that I'm not doing this because I want to."

"Figured as much. But who-"

"Enough Jeff! Otherwise, I tell Slender about this!"

"Weren't you going to do that anyway? I mean, I assumed-"

" _I_ wouldn't. Laughing Jack will, though."

_Fuck, that's right. Why wasn't this planned better?!_

The two walked in silence. Jeff began to think about what kind of punishment Slender would bestow upon his this time.

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps caused them to stop walking. As they looked around, they saw a tall figure running towards them. They immediately ran behind some trees and waited for the person or thing to run past them.

As the figure passed them, they heard them muttering something to themselves. The two couldn't quite catch what they had said but it was something along the lines of "how could this happen?" That's when Jane and Jeff realized who it was.

They immediately set off, hoping they could stop the clown from getting to the mansion. Who knows what would happen if he did. Well, hell would be brought upon the two. Mostly on Jeff, but still.

The killers followed as closely as they could to the clown and tried to be as silent as possible. _Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it, don't-_ The clown suddenly stopped. Jane and Jeff stopped and they caught themselves before they could fall. They stood still and listened.

An eerie silence ensued. Jeff held his breath. The clown looked around, possibly looking for something. _Hopefully not us,_ Jeff thought.

The clown continued running and the two followed. Every now and then the clown would stop and look around and about a minute or two later he would start running again. This continued on for some time before they finally reached the mansion.

"It's now or never," Jeff heard Jane mutter.

"What do you mean?" Jeff asked. Jane turned to him and he knew she was staring at him thinking he was a complete idiot.

"We need to take out the clown before he gets inside." The two suddenly heard a twig snap. They looked over at the clown to see that he was gone.

"Well, we're too late, aren't we?" Jeff asked. Great, I'm so fucked. The sound of another twig snapping made them turn around to see that the clown was right behind them. He was scowling at them.

"I knew it," he hissed. Jeff immediately bolted to the door. He could hear Jane right behind him but then he heard a yelp and then nothing. _Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuck fu-_ Jeff was knocked down to the ground and a clawed hand covered his mouth. He squirmed but to no avail. He was picked up and as he began kicking the clown, said clown began to speak.

"You know, _Jeffyboy_ ," he said. "It didn't have to resort to this...." Jeff suddenly felt the clown place something in his mouth. He froze. _Oh no. No. NO._ "But you leave me with no choice. I just can't let anyone else have my gumdrop. Especially a certain little blonde elf." Jeff suddenly found himself in motion. He began kicking and squirming, hoping that he would somehow overpower the clown. But, that didn't happen. The candy the clown had given him was now taking effect. Jeff could see the world start to blur around him. He gave one last kick (hitting the clown in a certain place) as the world merged together into nothingness.

**\-------------**

As Ben walked out of Sally's room (Sally bidding one last goodbye as she served Charlie more tea), he swore he would get Jane back and reminded himself to never ask for her help again. He knew it was a bad idea from the start but he couldn't help himself. He had had a bad feeling about the whole trip with Laughing Jack so he had sent Jane to get Jeff back. Jane had teased him about something and after a series of threats and negotiating, she gave in.

So now all that was left to do was wait. And wipe off all of the paint that was now smeared all over his face. Ben muttered under his breath as he entered his room. _There's gotta be something I can use to clean this off,_ he thought. After five minutes, he found a handkerchief and began wiping his face. _I swear if this doesn't come off I am going to kill Jane._ Ben continued rubbing his face with the handkerchief and as he pulled it away he saw that some of it had come off. He sighed as he put it down.

"What is taking her so damn long?" he asked. "Jack's carnival isn't _that_ far away. She should've been here five minutes ago." As he sat down on his bed, the sound of static filled his ears. He turned in time to see Slenderman walking past his door. He watched as he walked further down the hall towards one of the pasta's rooms. Ben didn't think much of it at first. But that was before he realized that Slender could be off to see Jane and once he noticed that she wasn't there, he would start asking everyone if they knew where she was. That included him and Ben wasn't necessarily the best liar. Or the best person to think of something else when talking to him. He immediately grabbed the handkerchief and continued rubbing his face, hoping that the paint would come off.

_Jane better hurry._

_Otherwise, we're **all** in trouble._


	8. Chapter 8

The mansion was unusually silent. There was the usual static from Slenderman and some creaks here and there but other than that, there was silence.

Ben nervously paced around in his room. Although he was insane, the silence seemed like it could cause him to snap again. Was that even a possibility? Who knew? But anyway, Ben was worried. It had been a while since he last saw Jane, Jeff, or Laughing Jack. A _long_ while. He was starting to come up with the worst case scenario but then would remember that it would be two skilled pastas against one.

 _Is it that evenly matched though?_ he thought to himself. He groaned and threw himself onto his bed. His self-doubt was getting the best of him. _Relax Ben, relax._ He sighed. _Now what?_ The answer came by a knock on the door. He immediately bolted out of bed and to the door. He opened the door and looked out. It was Masky. Ben frowned.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"Is Jeff with you?" Masky asked. Ben shook his head.

"He had to go out on a mission or something with Laughing Jack." There was an eerie silence that ensued. Ben stared up at Masky wondering what could be going through his mind.

"A mission?" Masky finally asked. Ben nodded. "With Laughing Jack?" Ben nodded again. "Willingly?" Ben shook his head. "Hm, figures. How long has he been gone?" Ben thought for a moment.

"About three hours now?" he said. Masky muttered something in response but Ben didn't hear it. "Why are you asking? You needed him for something?" Masky shook his head.

"No. Something just seemed off." And with that, Masky walked off, leaving Ben to shut the door and panic.

**\---------------**

**{Slenderman's POV}**

Why I had ever thought to allow the mission to happen was beyond my comprehension at this point. I reminded myself that I had been angry at the time and in my mind, I had somehow come to the conclusion that sending Jeff on the mission with Laughing Jack would suffice for punishment. Now that I think about it, I dread the moment they return. And it won't be because Jeff will come back madder than ever or Laughing Jack will come back in an angry mood or something or other. It's more of questioning if Jeff will come back alright. Or if he will come back at all.

The clock on the wall continued to tick away. It had been exactly three and a half hours since Jeff and Laughing Jack had left. I could only imagine what Laughing Jack had planned. The clown had refused to share any details with me. I suppose I could understand why but it still bothered me. Really, who knows what they could be doing?

 _I could just teleport to the carnival,_ I thought. _Then the mystery would be gone._

 _But there's a chance they might not even be at the carnival_ , a voice in my head argued. That _was_ plausible. Maybe Laughing Jack had actually lied about going to his carnival so that I could be more likely to say yes, therefore I wouldn't be able to find him as easily.

I shook my head. _I might just be overthinking things._

 _But everything stated has been plausible_ the voice argued again. I sighed. If there's one thing Laughing Jack is, it's that he can be very deceiving when he wants to be which, thankfully, isn't often. But I've been fooled by him more than I'd like to admit so the voice had a point.

"I am getting nothing done here," I said aloud. "I've just been arguing with myself. How ridiculous." I pulled out all of the previous papers I had put away from my desk and flipped through them. "Alright, where to start..." The door swung open and I looked up to see Sally walk in and stand in front of my desk. "Yes, Sally?"

"Have you seen Jane?" she asked me. I shook my head.

"I thought she was with you," I told her. She shook her head. "Oh. Did she not appear for tea time?" The thought of it made my anger rise a bit. Really, this wasn't the first time someone hasn't shown up for tea time. They received their punishment, though.

"We-ell," she started. _Oh dear, this can't be good._ "Yes she did but she told me she couldn't stay because she had stuff to do."

"WHAT?!" Sally flinched slightly and backed a few steps away. I regained my composure and cleared my throat. "Ah, sorry Sally. Is that so?" Sally nodded. "So you didn't have tea time?" Sally shook her head.

"No, I did."

"Who did you have tea time with?"

"Ben."

And at that moment everything made perfect sense. I immediately placed the papers back in the desk and stood up. _Looks like I'll have to wait on that._

"Alright, I'll go look for her." Sally nodded and walked out. "I guess Ben and I are going to have a little chat." And with that, I teleported to Ben's room.


End file.
